Radioactive tritium has leaked from three-quarters of United States commercial nuclear power sites, often into groundwater from corroded, buried piping, an Associated Press investigation shows.

And the number and severity of the leaks has been escalating, even as federal regulators extend the licences of more reactors across the US.

Tritium, which is a radioactive form of hydrogen, has leaked from at least 48 of 65 sites, according to US Nuclear Regulatory Commission records reviewed as part of AP’s year-long examination of safety issues at ageing nuclear power plants.

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The artwork in the header, titled "JAPAN:Nuclear Power Plant," is copyright artist Tomiyama Taeko.

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